


When The Darkness Comes

by hllfire



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Anakin!Erik, Angst, Charles Xavier Needs a Hug, Force Choking (Star Wars), M/M, Padmé!Charles, Sad, it's the alternate ending of episode iii
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24051073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hllfire/pseuds/hllfire
Summary: When Charles first saw Erik, he wanted to scream. It came to him as an urge, the desire to let his voice sound louder than the constant noise of burning coming from the planet around them, so maybe Erik would listen to him, would answer him.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	When The Darkness Comes

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was first posted on [tumblr.](https://hellfre.tumblr.com/post/617209249291960320/when-the-darkness-comes)
> 
> A cherik Star Wars AU based on [this](https://mnemo-ink.tumblr.com/post/617193768874131456/star-wars-au-cherik-prompt-recently-i-saw-again) prompt by mnemo-ink on tumblr and [this](https://mnemo-ink.tumblr.com/post/617200563530219520/lolicraft-laustraliedouzepoints) post that made me want to watch Star Wars again. I'm sorry for the angst !

When Charles first saw Erik, he wanted to scream. It came to him as an urge, the desire to let his voice sound louder than the constant noise of burning coming from the planet around them, so maybe Erik would listen to him, would answer him. There were so many questions going through Charles' head that he almost felt dizzy as Erik's eyes looked at him with a mixture of surprise and concern for his presence in Mustafa, and Charles felt even more the urge to scream when he saw that concern on the grey eyes of his husband.

_Why did you do this?_

_Why did you kill all those people? All those children?_

_Why would you do that?_

_Why did you betray me?_

The questions swirled around Charles' head so loudly that he didn't know if he was projecting them or not, but considering that Erik's stance didn't change, and neither did his expression, Charles knew that he was probably being able to hold his telepathy at bay at that moment, even with all of the emotions that seemed to be making him lose the sense of where he was and what he was doing there, everything too intense for him. He tried to focus on the feeling of the fabric around his body, the red cloak brushing against the skin of his arms lightly, soft and yet grounding enough to allow Charles to go back to the moment and take the first steps to leave the ship and meet his husband, each movement making him aware of the knife that pressed against his hips.

Erik seemed to hesitate, but soon he was walking as well, concern and _something more_ staining the grey in his eyes that Charles used to love so much. It was as if Erik dreaded Charles' presence there, but the telepath didn't want to get into the Jedi's head anymore, not with all the darkness spreading across his mind, so he could only wonder what that look meant. 

"What are you doing here?" Erik's voice was out of breath when he finally reached Charles and put his hands on the other man's waist, holding him close. There was some kind of pain there, mixed with disbelief, that Charles caught on his voice and on his surface thoughts that now seemed to scream for Charles as Erik's mind has always done. Calling for him at the same time it repelled Charles' presence. "You shouldn't be here…"

Charles closed his eyes, Erik's touch seeming to burn his skin under the layers of fabric just like the molten lava of Mustafa would do. He wished it didn't hurt so much, he wished he didn't feel like it was his fault that Erik was there, that Erik had killed, and above it all he wished he didn't need to do what he was about to do.

He didn't answer Erik's question, instead taking the small knife that was against his hip, hidden by the cloak, and making a harsh movement that would've killed Erik in an instant if his hand hadn't stopped all of the sudden when the blade was mere inches from making contact with the skin, and Charles took in a shuddering breath as he looked up at Erik for a moment. He'd like to say the knife stopped because Erik stopped it with his powers, controlling the metal blade and keeping it from hurting him, but saying that would be a lie. The knife stopped because Charles stopped, something making him hesitate. He shouldn't hesitate, not when Erik was a threat for the Republic, not when Erik had killed all those children, but as much as he wanted to say otherwise, those grey eyes that stared down at him with disbelief and betrayal were still the eyes of the man he loved, and he hated himself for still loving Erik, for allowing his feelings to take the best of him.

But, in the end, Erik was doing this because emotion took the best of him. They weren't so different after all.

"Go on, then." Erik said, voice somber as his eyes shifted a little, getting darker. His hands still held Charles' waist tightly, hands trembling against him with anticipation. "Kill me."

Charles tried. He tried to force his hand to finish the job, to end Erik's life and end the threat he became, but he couldn't. He gritted his teeth, watching Erik still look at him with a somewhat stern face, as if he accepted the fate that would come to him if Charles made the decision, and he wanted to scream again. He wanted to let out the pent up pain that was growing and growing inside his chest as he looked at his husband there. It hurt more than anything he had ever felt before, and he wished Erik could stop that pain, could take him in his arms and soothe him, tell him it'll all be okay. But it wouldn't be okay.

He noticed tears leaving his eyes, wetting his face and running down his cheeks, and he hated himself even more for crying. A pained sound left his mouth when he realized he couldn't, when, even with everything Erik had done until that moment, his heart still belonged to the man who held him by his waist. When he realized he was sacrificing the Republic and the freedom of the galaxy because he couldn't kill Erik. 

Charles lowered his head, sobbing silently as his hands grabbed Erik's shoulders in a tight grip that probably hurt, not knowing what to do. The blade fell from his hand directly to the ground with a metallic noise, proving once and for all how weak he was.

"Why?"

It was all that came out of his mouth. He couldn't finish none of the questions that still made his head hurt, couldn't say anything other than that, and he felt Erik's arms pull him closer in an embrace that seemed to hurt Charles more than comfort him.

His mind was so busy with the self loathing that he didn't pick up the spark in Erik's mind at that moment, he didn't see the idea that came over him covered with a layer of pain, and all of the sudden Charles felt his own breathing stop, an invisible grasp taking hold of his throat and making him choke. He pulled away from Erik, hands coming to his own throat in an useless attempt to get rid of the invisible hand that held it tightly, seeing Erik's face again when he took a few steps back. He looked torn, as if part of him was determined to kill Charles at that moment but the other loathed the idea. 

Charles almost wanted to laugh. He had been weak after all, had lost his chance to end everything there with the knife that now laid on the ground and slowly melted thanks to the intensity of Erik's powers around him. But Erik wouldn't be weak, Erik would kill him for going against him in the end, and he felt his heart breaking in a million pieces at that moment. 

_There's more in you, Erik,_ Charles tried, sounding breathless even in Erik's mind, and he saw the Jedi wince when he heard it, a spark of pain crossing his mind as if hearing Charles like this was too much, almost making him back away on his decision. _There's good in you, I know it._

"You're wrong, Charles." his voice broke despite himself, the grip on Charles' throat tightening and making the corners of his vision turn black and his head get more and more lighter. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Charles…"

Charles could stop him, could nudge Erik's mind and make him stop it and kill him there, but he realized he _couldn't._ He wouldn't be able to kill Erik, even now. He wouldn't be able to live with that pain, and he wondered if Erik could. He had felt pain before, had endured more of it than Charles could even imagine, and Charles wondered if he was going to be just another pain that Erik would have to deal with, or if he would feel pain at all. He selfishly wished that Erik did, that the Jedi's love for Charles was enough for him to feel the pain of losing Charles.

 _I love you,_ Charles sent over with the last of the energy he still had, taking his hands from his throat and allowing the invisible grip keep him upwards as his body slowly lost the strength that kept his limbs working, blue eyes on Erik's grey ones. _I always will._

The last thing Charles saw was the tears falling from Erik's eyes and the sob that took over him before everything faded to black. The last thing he felt was the pain coming from his husband, and the sick satisfaction to know that Erik loved him enough to feel that pain.

**Author's Note:**

> Kuddos and comments are appreciated! <3
> 
> Find me on [tumblr](https://hellfre.tumblr.com/) for more Cherik/X-Men content!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * A [Restricted Work] by [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account) Log in to view. 




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